Manicotti

Let’s face it, when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday the touchdowns, quarterback sacks and unexpected interceptions take a knee to the real star of the game — the food. While nutritionists get lost in the huddle, Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of chicken wings and more than 3 million pizzas while they watch the big game. The take-out food that scores the highest with football fans every year is pizza. While Burbank has plenty of great pizzerias, Ron and I decided to go old school and check out the place where we ate our first slices of cheesy pie. Rico’s Pizzeria on Glenoaks has been in business for more than 52 years.

mario'sIf Mario's hasn't been a location for a movie shoot, it should be. It's the quintessential neighborhood Italian deli, with soccer posters, Italian flags and gigantic cheeses hanging from the rafters, bin after bin of every shape pasta one can think of, and that familiar aroma of garlic, salami and olive oil. Conversations in Italian ebb and flow, adding to the atmosphere. The glass cases are filled with an irresistible array of antipasti, including oil-cured olives. These plump and wrinkly deep black beauties are sometimes hard to find, and they are among my favorites.

JOYCE RUDOLPH Yes. That recliner looks comfy, beckoning to you as well as that new DVD you got for Christmas. But hey, 2003 was a rough year, and you deserve a night of celebration. Here are several reasons why you shouldn't stay home this New Year's Eve. Genio's Restaurant will greet 2004 with entertainment by the three-piece combo Jimmy Jammers, playing from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the bar. There is no cover. Dinner will be served until 10:30 p.m. and the holiday menu features steaks, fresh scallops, lobster, shrimp, pork tenderloins and pasta.

DAVID SILVA It was the low-carb nachos and beer that did it. I had been fruitlessly searching the wine aisle of my favorite specialty store for a particular brand of red wine when I finally realized the label had been removed from the shelves. In its place was row after row of low-carb nacho tortilla chips and low-carb lager beer. I'm still not sure if it was the loss of my favorite wine or the thought of some glutton trying to snack and booze his way to fitness that made me snap, but suddenly I had had enough.

Let’s face it, when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday the touchdowns, quarterback sacks and unexpected interceptions take a knee to the real star of the game — the food. While nutritionists get lost in the huddle, Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of chicken wings and more than 3 million pizzas while they watch the big game. The take-out food that scores the highest with football fans every year is pizza. While Burbank has plenty of great pizzerias, Ron and I decided to go old school and check out the place where we ate our first slices of cheesy pie. Rico’s Pizzeria on Glenoaks has been in business for more than 52 years.

mario'sIf Mario's hasn't been a location for a movie shoot, it should be. It's the quintessential neighborhood Italian deli, with soccer posters, Italian flags and gigantic cheeses hanging from the rafters, bin after bin of every shape pasta one can think of, and that familiar aroma of garlic, salami and olive oil. Conversations in Italian ebb and flow, adding to the atmosphere. The glass cases are filled with an irresistible array of antipasti, including oil-cured olives. These plump and wrinkly deep black beauties are sometimes hard to find, and they are among my favorites.